Hagg powers Phantoms offense from the blueline

Phantoms defenseman Robert Hagg (4) is introduced before their game against the Flames at the PPL Center in Allentown on Oct. 17, 2014.

Phantoms defenseman Robert Hagg (4) is introduced before their game against the Flames at the PPL Center in Allentown on Oct. 17, 2014. (CHRIS KNIGHT, SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL)

Find out what makes Phantoms rookie defenseman Robert Hagg tick

Before leaving the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to compete at the World Junior Championships in Canada, defenseman Robert Hagg joked he would quit hockey if Team Sweden won another silver medal.

Hagg had won two silver medals with Team Sweden the previous two years, and this was his last go for the gold.

Sweden didn't win a silver, and unfortunately finished fourth, but Hagg didn't have to be taken at his word about going into an early retirement. He rejoined the Phantoms last week.

In his first game back, Hagg started a two-game swing into St. John's, Newfoundland, on the right note by blasting in a power-play goal for the first goal in the two-game series the Phantoms swept.

"It was great," the 19-year-old Hagg said. "I got a great pass from [Blair Jones] and pounded it from the point. It was a great feeling to come back in and help the team win."

For the Phantoms as well.

"He adds a lot to our team," Phantoms coach Terry Murray said. "As young as he is, the attitude that he brings with the way he moves the puck, with his offense, the way he shoots the puck. He scores on the power play what is a really typical Robert Hagg goal: Just get the puck and shoot it."

Hagg said even though he was playing with lifelong friends on Team Sweden and able to speak Swedish at will, he missed his team back in the Lehigh Valley.

"I was watching the standings for the Phantoms," Hagg said. "You want to go back and help the team win. We want to make the playoffs this season, and we're in a good spot right now. Hopefully we can secure a playoff spot."

Upon his return, Hagg immediately got paired with Brandon Manning, the lone Phantoms player selected to participate in the AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 25-26.

Hagg welcomed the return to the structure of play the Phantoms employ, but took the time to be a typical 19-year-old during World Juniors, playing poker with his buddies, getting involved with a FIFA soccer tournament on PlayStation, and shopping with his Swedish teammates. The hockey though, was much different.

"The biggest difference is there was no structure [at World Juniors], if you ask me," Hagg said. "Guys were going all over the place. Back here in the American Hockey League, you know where your teammates are and what they're doing. They're going to their corridor because everyone needs to know what everyone else is doing. Back in Juniors, it's like they're just floating around screaming for the puck."

Hagg said he actually noticed that undisciplined style as a junior, and he embraced a more systematic approach to the game.

"The one thing Hagg has got is a pretty good IQ of the game, when you talk about our team and system and structure and the different reads you have to make," Murray said. "Even our talks about adjustment between periods, he can adjust to that and gets it. Those are the players that have a real upside to their game. Those are the guys who end up breaking through to the next level."

ZEPP GONE, OUELLETTE BACK: The Flyers recalled goalie Rob Zepp over the weekend after he picked up the 4-2 win over St. John's on Saturday night in the opening game of the two-game series in Newfoundland.

Without a backup goalie, the Phantoms worked to find junior player Doug Pippy and signed him to an Amateur Tryout on Jan. 11 as an emergency backup to rookie Anthony Stolarz, and then released Pippy the next day.

On Tuesday, the Phantoms recalled rookie Martin Ouellette from Reading to serve as the No. 2 goalie behind Stolarz with the idea that Zepp might not be back for several weeks, especially after picking up his second NHL career win in his second career start for the Flyers on Monday. Flyers No. 1 goalie Steve Mason is expected to be out at least two weeks with a lower-body injury.

"I'm happy for him," Murray said of the 33-year-old Zepp's second Flyers call-up. "He's there. Now he wants to continue on building on the success he's having. He's got two wins and he's playing at that level.

"Even more than that, he's a good person. He's a good guy and he's really connected to the team. He's got an incredible work ethic. He's earned the right to be where he is right now, and I think that it's really important for the young guys to see a veteran guy get an opportunity to move up like that because of what he's doing and how he's doing it. He's doing it the right way, and the other players see that."

ORANGE HOT: The Phantoms have won four straight, all on the road, and are coming off a five-game road trip that saw them go 4-1 with an overtime win, a shootout win, and the most goals scored in a single game this season in a 6-1 win to end last weekend in St. John's, with six different players scoring goals.

The Phantoms are 5-1 in their last six games and will have gone 19 days since their last home game when they host Albany at 7:05 p.m. Friday to kick off a three-day streak that includes hosting Binghamton on Saturday and visiting Hershey on Sunday.

And at home, the Phantoms have won four straight and five of their last six, with the lone loss decided in a shootout.

Murray said that even though there tends to be a shift-by-shift, game-by-game approach, the winning streaks are important not just in the standings, but mentally.

"There's a feeling that starts getting into your locker room," he said. "You start to play well, you start to win, there are intangibles that kick into play, and that's a critical part about being an athlete. You need to recognize it. You need to talk about it.

"You find out why by watching video … what you are doing right, and you reinforce that, and you have to also get dialed in as to what's coming next. … Enjoy this win, but you have to know to bring it again the next day and the next game, and maybe at an even higher level because everyone else is getting prepared for you."

The Phantoms play two sets of three-in-threes this month, capping off January with home games against Albany on Jan. 29 and Hershey on Jan. 30, and then at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Jan. 31

Seven of the Phantoms' next 10 games are at home, with road games in Hershey this Sunday, at Syracuse on Jan. 23, and at Wilkes-Barre on Jan. 31.

The Phantoms have three four-game homestands remaining, one each in February, March and April, and one more five-game road trip coming up March 11-21.

OT WARRIORS: Lehigh Valley has played 12 overtime games (3-4 OT, 4-1 shootout) this season, tied for second-most in the AHL with Hartford (6-3 OT, 1-2 SO). Oklahoma City has played a league-high 14 overtime games (10-2, 0-2 SO).

The Phantoms' four shootout wins (4-1) are tied for most in the league with San Antonio (4-0).

GOUMAS A LOANER: The Phantoms have lent forward Kevin Goumas to the Reading Royals of the ECHL. A 23-year-old forward from Long Beach, N.Y., Goumas has recorded one goal, two assists, three points and 14 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Phantoms this season.

MELVIN AN ALL-STAR: MeLVin, the mascot of the Phantoms, has been named to the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic, to be held at Turning Stone Resort & Casino on Jan. 25, 26 in Utica, N.Y.

STANDINGS: The Phantoms are in third place in the East Division of the Eastern Conference at 18-12-4-1 with 41 points in 35 games. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton leads the division with 44 points, but in 39 games played (20-15-1-3), while Hershey is second with 43 points in 37 games (19-13-4-1).

The Phantoms entered Wednesday night's action in eighth place in the conference with at least two games in hand on every team above them. Bridgeport is one point behind the Phantoms with two more games played. Albany is two points behind the Phantoms and Binghamton seven points behind the Phantoms.

The Phantoms and Lake Erie are tied for the least games played in the AHL this season with 35. The Phantoms will hit their midway point of the season (38 games) on Sunday in Hershey.

ANOTHER GHHT: Phantoms defenseman Oliver Lauridsen picked up the team's second Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game) of the season in the 6-2 win over St. John's last Sunday to end the five-game road trip.

Lauridsen had an assist on Andrew Gordon's opening goal 55 seconds into the game, got into a fight with Blair Riley with 1:11 left in the opening period and picked up a second-period goal.

Fellow blueliner Steven Delisle just missed the Gordie Howe hat trick in the same game by an assist, getting a goal and a fight.

Center Blair Jones picked up the first Gordie Howe hat trick in Lehigh Valley Phantoms history in a 4-3 win over Norfolk in a Nov. 29 game at PPL Center.

PENN STATE STAR: Eamon McAdam, a sophomore goalie at Penn State University from Perkasie, earned Big Ten Third Star of the Week on Tuesday after picking up his third Big Ten win in four starts in a 4-1 victory over Ohio State on Saturday.

McAdam, whose sister Sarah Uhl was a UCI Junior World Track Cycling Champion in the sprint, is 4-2-0 on the season with a 2.77 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He stopped 35 of 36 shots against the Buckeyes. The 6-3, 200-pound McAdam was drafted in the third round (70th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.

TICKET AVAILABILITY: A limited number of tickets remain for Friday's 7:05 p.m. game, which will feature the new Orange Friday Night Phantoms jerseys, on sale to the public since last week.

Saturday's "Legends Night" with former Flyer player and G.M. Bob Clarke signing autographs from 6-6:45 p.m. is a sellout, but standing-room-only tickets are available.